Russia not negotiating transfer of Armenian railway concession to Kazakhstan — Zakharova

Russia is not holding negotiations on transferring the concession for the management of Armenia’s railways to Kazakhstan, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said at a briefing. She recalled that Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin had earlier made a similar statement on March 30.

Zakharova noted that the concession agreement signed in 2008 is valid for 30 years, with the possibility of a 10-year extension.

“For many years, South Caucasus Railways CJSC has been responsibly fulfilling the terms of the agreement, and Russian investments in Armenia’s railway infrastructure exceed 30 billion rubles,” she said.

At the same time, Zakharova added that if any negotiations are conducted at a higher level, they would be commented on by the Russian President’s Office.

Earlier, Armenian media reported that discussions were underway regarding a potential transfer of management rights of the railway network to a Kazakh company.

Commenting on the issue, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Yerevan would not oppose such a scenario if it is acceptable to both Armenia and Russia.

“We would not be opposed if it turns out that there is an understanding between us and Russia that the Kazakh company is acceptable for both sides. At the moment, negotiations are proceeding a little differently, as our Russian partners have not yet said, ‘Okay, let’s do it.’ Such ideas exist, but they are still just floating ideas,” the Prime Minister said. 

The Prime Minister had earlier proposed transferring the concession management of Armenia’s railway network to a country acceptable to both parties. He noted that under Russian management, the Armenian railway lacks certain competitive advantages, as some countries refrain from using it due to its current operator.